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JKENG/2012/41612

Vol. 1 No: 169

IN BRIEFIN BRIEFIIT Kanpur to set upfirst overseas office

in New YorkKANPUR: IIT Kanpur is all

set to open its first overseas

office in New York, for

which a space has been pro-

vided by one of its alumnus.

With this office, the presti-

gious institution hopes to

deal with a range of overseas

affairs including faculty hir-

ing, fund-raising and entering

into Contd. on page 2

Vijay Diwas beingcelebrated todayNEW DELHI: Vijay Diwas

is being celebrated today to

commemorate the Indian

Armed Forces historic victo-

ry over the Pakistani forces in

1971. On the occasion, the

country remembers with grat-

itude its brave soldiers who

made supreme sacrifices for

their motherland. In Delhi,

Defence Minister A.K.

Antony Contd. on page 2

Rare historical booksdeck up Rashtrapathi

bhavan libraryNEW DELHI: A peep into

history is at the centre of

Rashtrapati Bhavan's initia-

tive to refurbish its library

with rare books dating backto 1800 on 'Tippoo' Sultan

and another signed by Lord

George Curzon in 1904 to

find a place on its racks. This

is part of efforts by Pranab

Mukherjee, Contd. on page 2

8 persons Die inBadherwah accident

BHADERWAH, DEC 16:

Atleast 8 people died in a

road accident one other seri-

ously injured when a Winger

on its way from Bhaderwah

to Chinta meet with an acci-

dent short while ago. One

critically injured person was

shifted to Jammu. The rescue

operation is still on to find

weather their is any one left

behind inside Contd. on page 2

Photo exhibitionattracts large crowed

JAMMU, DEC 16: During

the ongoing Red Cross Mela

at Kala Kendra Jammu, a

photo exhibition was also

organized by Photo

Journalists of Jammu. More

than 80 rare photographs

clicked during various occa-

sions were put to display.

The Minister for Technical

Education, Youth Affairs and

Sports, Mr. R.S. Chib showed

keen interest in the exhibition

and Contd. on page 2

NATO-LED FORCES COMBATMISSION TO END IN 2013'

SHEILA DIKSHIT LAUNCHESANNSHREEYOJANA IN DELHI

IRAN ARMY CHIEF WARNSTURKEY OVER PATRIOT

MISSILES

SRINAGAR,DEC 16: In an

unfortunate incident, six

Indian soldiers were killed

in an avalanche that struck

the Siachen Glacier in

Jammu and Kashmir around

7 am on Sunday.

Six men belonging to the

1st Assam Regiment,

deployed in the Hanif sub-

sector in Siachen glacier

area, died in the avalanche

hit today morning, Army

sources said.

One soldier is still miss-ing and efforts are being

made to locate him, they

said. "The incident hap-

pened during inter- post

movement of the soldiers,"

they said.The Indian Army has

recovered the bodies of the

soldiers killed. The tragedy

occurred in Hanif sub-sector

in Siachen glacier area.

Reports suggest that theavalanche was a huge one

and it wiped out the entire

post where the soldiers were

posted.

India has deployed its

troops in Siachen for close

to 30 years now and has lost

more people to the weather

and terrain than to enemy

bullets.

The J&K authorities had

issued an avalanche warning

for the higher reaches of the

Kashmir Valley, advising

them to move about with

utmost caution.

Contd. on page 2

Avalanche in Siachen glacier kills six Indian soldiers

NEW DELHI:

Government on Sunday said

that law will take its own

course if investigations

establish that there has been

any violation by global

retail giant Walmart in its

attempts to gain entry into

the Indian market. Union

Information and

Broadcasting Minister

Manish Tewari has said, it istime to enact a law on dis-

closing lobbying by politi-

cians and corporates after

allegations that Walmart had

bribed its way into India. Mr.

Tewari said that time has

come that we need to put in

place a statutory architecture

which makes these declara-tions essential.

It also said that it was not

proper to make any judge-

ment one way or the either

before Contd. on page 2

I&B Minister bats for strongerlobbying law in India

NEW DELHI: India Gate is

the right place to build a

national war memorial,

Defence Minister A K

Antony Sunday said, against

the backdrop of opposition

by Delhi Chief Minister

Sheila Dikshit to the propos-

al.

"As far as we are con-

cerned, this (India Gate) is

the place to have a war

memorial. We are veryclear," he told reporters after

laying wreath at the Amar

Jawan Jyoti to commemorate

the 41st anniversary of the

Indian victory in the 1971

war with Pakistan.

The Defence Minister was

asked to react to the separate

letters written by the Delhi

Chief Minister opposing the

construction of war memorial

at the India Gate.

He said after long years of

efforts, a Group of Ministers

(GoM) set up by Prime

Minister and the threeServices chiefs had agreed to

set up the war memorial here.

"Before taking the pro-

posal to the Cabinet (for

approval), the Urban

Development Ministry has

written to all the stakeholders

to seek their comments and

views. But I am sure that we

will be able to clinch the

issue," Antony said when

asked if Dikshit's letter may

delay Contd. on page 2

India Gate right place to build war memorial, says AK Antony'Sheila Dikshit opposes to the proposal'

No need forBJP to projectPM candidateas of now'BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh

Chouhan has said that there

is no need for BJP to project

anyone as the prime ministe-

rial candidate as of now for

the 2014 Lok Sabha elec-

tions.

"There are many capable

leaders in the party and whenthe time comes any one of

them can become the Prime

Minister," Chouhan said.

Asked who will make the

best prime ministerial nomi-

nee, Chouhan said he had

"no view on this" and added

that he will go by the party's

thinking in the matter.

He also said that there is

no need for BJP president

Nitin Gadkari to resign fol-

lowing charges of corruption

levelled against him.

"Charges are levelled against

many leaders and if someone

resigns only because allega-

tions have been made against

him, nobody would be left,"

Contd. on page 2

NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu

Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa

Sunday asked the Prime

Minister's intervention in

Cable digitisation.

In a letter she asked the

Prime Minister to direct

Information and Broadcasting

Ministry to issue licence to

state-run Arasu Cable TV

Corporation.

She added that Centre has

issued licence to nine other

operators in Tamilnadu, but

for the Corporation.

The Corporation has

placed orders for the supply of

Set Top Boxes, Conditional

Access System and Subscriber

Management System and

erection of Head End at a cost

of about Rs.50 crore.

It may be noted the

Corporation has been seeking

extension of cable digitisation

programme stating that it don't

have enough infrastructure

(set up box).

The programme which

supposes to be implemented

on October 31, according to

Centre's deadline, has been

extending since MSOs have

said they don't have enough

boxes. The letter further stated

that Tamilnadu Cable TV

Corporation offers 100 chan-

nels at Rs 70 a month.

There has been a good

response from the public and

the Local Cable Operators.

23,000 Local Cable Operators

with a subscriber base of 60

lakhs are

availing of the

services of

t h i s

Corporation.

While stat-

ing that the

M a d u r a i

Bench of the

Madras High

Court has also

passed orders on December 6,

2012 that "the process of issue

of licence to Tamil Nadu

Arasu Cable TV Corporation

may go on and the licence

may also be issued".

"I urge you to intervene in

the matter and direct the

Ministry of Information and

Broadcasting to issue the

Digital Addressable System

licence to the Tamil Nadu

Arasu Cable TV Corporation

Ltd immediately," said the

Chief Minister in her letter to

the Prime Minister.

NEW DELHI:The Supreme

Court has given its go-ahead

to the Medical Council of

India (MCI) for holding the

first-ever common entrance

examination for admission to

MBBS, BDS and post-gradu-

ate courses but restrained it

from declaring the results

until further orders.

The court also allowed

various states, universities

and other institutions entitled

to conduct their respective

examinations for MBBS,

BDS and post-graduate

courses to do so but not

declare the results till its fur-

ther orders.

Taking up a bunch of peti-

tions questioning applicabili-

ty of the MCI decision to

conduct the National

Eligibility and Entrance Test

(NEET) for admission to

both MBBS and post-gradu-

ate courses in medicine as

well as dental courses, a

bench headed by Chief

Justice Altamas Kabir also

directed transfer of all peti-

tions pending in various

courts to it by January 15,

2013.

Noting that the pending

matter needs to be heard and

decided soon, the CJI also

directed that all transferred

cases and writ petitions be

listed for final hearing and

disposal on January 15, 16

and 17.

"While we are of the view

that the main matters which

are pending need to be heard

and decided at an early stage,

the time taken in hearing the

matters should be utilised in

allowing the students to sit

for their respective examina-

tions, which are already noti-

fied," the SC said.

The order further stated,

"In the meantime, the

Medical Council of India, the

Dental Council of India, as

well as the States and

Universities and other

Institutions, will be entitled

to conduct their respective

examinations for the MBBS,

BDS and post-graduate

courses, but shall not declare

the results of the same, until

further orders of this court."

"Wide publicity may also

be given to this order by the

states, Contd. on page 2

SC go-ahead to MCI for holding common entrance exam

Tamil Nadu asks PM tointervene in Cable digitization

NEW DELHI, DEC 16: The govern-

ment will speed up the disinvestment

process and take further reform meas-

ures to revive the economy, Prime

Minister Manmohan Singh has prom-

ised the Indian industry. "The steps we

have taken recently are only the begin-

ning of the process to revive our econo-

my and take it back to its trend growth

rate of 8-9%," Singh said at the 85th

Annual General Meeting of Ficci on

Saturday.

India's economic growth slowed to a

nine-year low of 6.5% in 2011-12 and

this year, too, growth is expected to be a

low 5.8% as per RBI's estimates. The

prime minister said the government

needs to take forward the steps it has

taken in several areas through the con-

stitution of the Cabinet Committee on

Investment to revive the economy.

"We need to complete the exercise

that has begun onGAAR [General Anti

Avoidance Rules] and taxation of the IT

sector. We will speed up the disinvest-

ment process which will also revive our

equity markets," he added. Defending

the government's policies on

allowingFDI in multi-brand retail, the

prime minister said that given the global

environment, investors have become

risk-averse and the FDI policy had to be

liberalised to address this challenge.

"Our decision Contd. on page 2

PM vows to speed up reforms, rev up economy

MUMBAI, DEC 16: The

Tata group will adopt a two-

pronged strategy to give

opportunities for students

and entrepreneurs in the

Kashmir Valley which

includes supporting setting

up of venture capital units.

Outgoing Chairman of the

Tata group Ratan Tata, who

recently interacted with stu-

dents of Kashmir University

in October last, said the

group would like to follow

the 'American Venture

Capitalist model' and help the

local entrepreneurs in setting

up their own business.

"We will do two things

that we have promised. We

will interview students on

campus through the universi-

ty and the second is that we

will provide internship to stu-

dents in our companies,"

Tata, who retires as the group

Chairman on December 28

when he turns 75, told in an

interview.

Contd. on page 2

Tata group to adopt two-prongedstrategy to help youth in Kashmir

Siachen glacier

SRINAGAR,DEC 16: A

medium danger avalanche

warning was today issued for

area close to Line of Control

in Kashmir and Banihal town

on Jammu-Srinagar national

highway even as one-way

traffic was restored on the

arterial road connecting the

valley with rest of the country.

"A medium danger ava-

lanche warning has beenissued for Keran Machil,

Gurez, Chowkibal, Uri and

Tangdhar areas where moder-

ate to heavy snowfall was wit-

nessed earlier in the week,"

Coordinator Natural Disaster

Management Cell, Aamir Ali,

said. The avalanche warning

has also been issued for north

Kashmir Ski resort of

Gulmarg, Jawahar Tunnel in

south Kashmir and Banihal

town. "The people living inthese areas or going to these

places are advised to take pre-

cautions and avoid going

towards avalanche prone

zones," Ali said.

Kashmir valley witnessed

moderate to heavy snowfall,

mostly in hilly areas, during

the past week, leading to clo-

sure of several roads includ-

ing Jammu-Srinagar National

Highway. A spokesman of

the Traffic Department saidthe 294-km road, connecting

Srinagar to Jammu, was today

thrown open for one way traf-

fic to allow vehicles from the

winter capital to reach the

Valley.

He said vehicles from

Srinagar will be allowed to

ply towards Jammu tomorrow

and this arrangement of

allowing one-way traffic from

either side on alternate days

will continue till furtherorders.

Avalanche warning Issued in Kashmir Valley

Page 1_Bali_Bali.qxd 12/17/2012 11:26 AM Page 1

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Avalanche in...There has been heavy snowfall in the higher reach-

es in the past three days. The weather office hasforecast "fair weather" in the Kashmir Valley from

Monday.

I&B Minister...probe is completed. "If at all any investigation

does conclusively establish that there has been a

violation of the Indian laws....Law will take its own

course," Information and Broadcasting Minister

Manish Tewari told Karan Thapar's Devil's

Advocate.

He was responding to a question on the

Enforcement Directorate probing alleged violation

of investment rules by Walmart in India and charges

that Walmart invested in India even before the

Government took a policy decision on FDI in

retail.= Tewari at the same time repeatedly cau-

tioned against "innuendos and insinuations" till an

inquiry is completed.

He said Government has already announced a

probe by a former judge into the allegations of

Walmart spending money on lobbying to get entry

into Indian market and that now "the inquiry com-mission should be allowed to come to its independ-

ent conclusion.

"I do not think it is proper to second guess the

results of an inquiry. Let the inquiry play itself out.

We would not put the cart before the horse," he said.

Tewari also hit out at the BJP over the issue

alleging that the principal opposition has "reversed

criminal jurisprudence on its head".

"They make an allegation and then they reiterate

it and they start believing it and then they ultimate-

ly expect the country to convict a person without a

trial," Tewari said, adding "if all this process exon-

erates Walmart completely, who is going to com-

pensate individuals, associations or companies for

the damages done as a result".

The Union Minister also exuded optimism that it

will be able to pass the crucial bills on banking, pen-

sion and insurance reforms passed in Parliament

despite the existing political contradictions as "the

real faultline in this country is communalism versus

pluralism".

India Gate right...the process of building the war memorial at the

India Gate complex.

In separate letters to Antony, Home Minister

Sushilkumar Shinde and Urban Development

Minister Kamal Nath, she has said that an alterna-

tive site should be found for the memorial.

Dikshit said India Gate is the only popular hang-

out place for people of the city and coming up of the

memorial there would restrict movement of people

in the area due to security reasons, top sources said.

She has said that setting up of the memorial would

also affect the ambience of the area.

The armed forces have been demanding a war

memorial in the national capital to honour their men

who made supreme sacrifice in various wars, con-

flicts and militancy-related incidents in Jammu and

Kashmir and the northeast.

No need for ...he expressed.

He also said that charges against Gadkari have

not affected the intensity of the BJP's fight against

corruption in Congress. Chouhan said he is confi-

dent that BJP would win next year's state Assembly

elections as the people of Madhya Pradesh are with

the party because of the welfare work done by the

government.

PM vows to ...on FDI in multi-brand retail, civil aviation,

power-trading exchanges and broadcasting must

also be viewed in this larger context. Bills on liber-

alising FDI limits in banking and insurance are cur-

rently before Parliament. Each of these decisions is

based on sound economic logic," Singh said.

On the opposition he faced while carrying out

the reform measures, the prime minister said that

some of the decisions were politically difficult, and

that naysayers and cynics had tried to halt the gov-

ernment in its track. "But we had the courage of our

conviction and the interests of our people at heart."

Listing out reform measures on the anvil, Singhsaid the government was bringing greater clarity in

the FDI policy in pharma sector, and the railways

was working on a Rail Tariff Authority which will

make setting fares a more rational exercise. The

bills on Direct Taxes Code and the Goods and

Services Tax are high on the priority list.

"We have already put in place a package for

reviving discoms contingent on better performance.

The Land Acquisition Bill recently approved by our

Cabinet will soon usher in a more fair and transpar-

ent regime for land acquisition," he added.

Expressing concern about the country's burgeon-

ing subsidy bill, the PM said it was constraining the

government in its efforts for the economic well-

being and empowerment of the people. Under-pric-

ing of energy, particularly electricity and petroleum

products, has greatly affected the resources avail-

able for investments in infrastructure as well as

social development.

"We need to address these issues even as we

ensure that the poor and the vulnerable are effec-

tively protected," Singh said, adding that well-tar-geted subsidies had an important role to play in soft-

ening the harsh edges of extreme poverty.

Singh urged the corporate sector to own up its

responsibility in supporting affirmative action

designed to provide employment opportunities for

the under-privileged sections, persons with disabili-

ties and women. "The private sector should also

play a more active role in the areas of research and

development, education and skill development,

health and rural development," he said.

SC go-ahead...Union of India, Medical Council of India and the

Dental Council of India so that the students, who

are intending to sit for the entrance examination,

may have knowledge of the same." The court also

directed counsels for respective parties to make

available their written submissions before it by

January 7.

The CBSE will hold the first NEET-UG for

under-graduate medical and dental courses in May

2013 on behalf of MCI and DCI, while the National

Board of Examinations (NBE) has already held the

NEET-PG for post-graduate medical and dental

courses earlier this month.

Tata group to...The campus interview will be done as and when

the graduation ceremony takes place, he said,

adding "I promised them (students) that there will

not be any bias against students from the University

there."

Tata recalled that during the interaction some

students had asked him whether Tata group would

be setting any business in Kashmir.

"I expressed another view. I said we know what

we should be trying to do with you is have you build

your business and support you who have entrepre-

neurial spirit.

"We should create something that's like the

American venture capitalist model and then we can

support that financially and help you get started and

then bring our marketing experience or financial

experience to help you," Tata said.

"So I have advocated that if there are six or

seven bright young people, who have an idea to

start something, we should fund them, buy shares in

that company and help them everywhere we can,"

he said but added that the process is yet to start.

Under the American venture capitalist model,

financial capital is provided to early-stage, high-

potential, high risk, growth startup companies.

The venture capital fund makes money by own-

ing equity in the companies it invests in, which usu-

ally have a novel technology or business model in

high technology industries, such as biotechnology,

IT and software.

Tata, along with some other industrialists, had

addressed the students of the Kashmir University

after which he had said that India Inc needs to do

something special for the people of Kashmir rather

than following normal business practice as the

Valley had a great wealth of human capital.

IIT Kanpur to ....collaborations for research and development,according to a release.

The office will come up at 62, William Street in

New York and a space has been provided by the stu-

dent for a period of five years, it said. The 1986

batch IITian, Sanjay Khosla, will not be charging

any rent from the institute, the release added. The

new office is expected to start its functioning from

early next year.

Vijay Diwas...and three Services Chief will lead the nation in pay-

ing homage to the brave soldiers at Amar Jawan

Jyoti at India Gate. The reports said that several

functions are also being organized in other parts of

the country to mark the day.

Rare historical ...who after taking over as President in July this year,

has been devoting time reviving places of historical

importance within the sprawling 340-room

Rashtrapati Bhavan here.The look of the library is being recreated to

match the ambience in 1950 when it started func-

tioning with tables in the room also being aligned

the way it used to be. The books, which can be a real

treat to any researcher, date between 1800 and 1947.

They include a rare book of 1800 written by

Alexander Beaston on "A View of the Origin and

Conduct of the War with Tippoo Sultan".

The book is a narrative of the operations of the

British Army under the command of Lieutenant-

General George Harris, and of the siege of

Srirangapatnam--near Mysore--and the defacto cap-

ital of 'Tippoo' Sultan. Another rare book -- "The

British gallery of engravings: from pictures of the

Italian, Flemish, Dutch, and English schools", writ-

ten by William Edward Forster, Chaplain to his

Grace the Duke of Newcastle, will also be featured

if the National Archives will be able to restore it.

The library also showcases 100 books of Punch, a

British weekly magazine of humour and satire

launched in 1841 by Henry Mayhew and engraver

Ebenezer Landells.

8 persons Die...the debris of the ill-fated vehicle. Darkness and

snowfall creates major hurdle in search operation

jointly launched by police, army, CRPF and local

administration.

Photo exhibition...complimented Photo Journalists for their best

efforts. He assured them that in future too, he would

encourage their such efforts. He congratulated them

for their excellent photo exhibition.

Sham releases RattanBhardwaj's Dogri book

"Unbiddhe Moti"

AKHNOOR, DEC 16: Minister for Health,Horticulture & Floriculture, Mr. Sham Lal Sharma

today released a Dogri book titled "Unbiddhe Moti"

authored by Mr. Rattan Lal Bhardwaj at an impres-

sive function organized by the Dogri Sahitya Sabha

Akhnoor, here today.

The book is based on a collection of Dogri songs

with special focus on the River Chenab and the

importance of Akhnoor town and its periphery.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that

writers are the valuable asset of the nation and they

should be treated with due honor. He maintained

that writers and intellectuals are instrumental for the

development and promotion of country's rich cul-

ture, languages and heritage and their contribution

should be duly recognized in the society.

Appreciating the effort of the author for highlight-

ing the significance of Akhnoor town through his

valuable work, the Minister said that the contribu-

tion will go a long way in creating awareness about

the history of Akhnoor town amongst the general

masses. He urged the author and other local writers

to contribute for highlighting the importance ofAkhnoor and other places of historical and religious

significance. He said Akhnoor has remained a cen-

ter of religious and spiritual activities where numer-

ous sufi saints of different religions meditated. He

asked the intellectuals to showcase the history and

religious importance of this important town so that

people visit here as pilgrims.

Listing the measures initiated to promote reli-

gious tourism in Akhnoor, the Minister said that

Government has brought some important sites on

the tourist map. He said recently the Government

has sanctioned Rs. 5 crore for developing Sumah as

tourist destination in view of its religious impor-

tance. Similarly, the Buddhist site at Ambaran will

be suitably developed for global religious tourist

destination; the site has been visited by His

Holiness the Dalai Lama last year. For the attraction

of tourists, a complete facelift of Akhnoor town will

be carried out. To begin with a tourist reception cen-

ter has been developed with all basic facilities on

the right bank of River Chenab for the facilities of

tourists. He said on the demand of intellectuals of

Akhnoor, the Government has announced that a

Dugger Library will be established at Akhnoor

which will be named as Maharaja Gulab Singh

Library. This will be a tribute to the first Maharaja

of Jammu and Kashmir who was coroneted at

Akhnoor itself.

Among those present on the occasion included,

prominent Dogri writer Mr. Narsing Dev Jamwal,

President Dogri Sahitya Sabha Akhnoor, Mr.

Rajpaul Sharma, Chairman Dogri Sahitya Sabha,

Kr. Shakti Singh, social worker Mr. Satpal Saraf,

prominent citizens and local writers.

STUDENT AGE

MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 20122

Contd. from page 1...

Goa governmentposts marine

police at sea toguard its fish

PANAJI: Goa loves its fish fried

and curried. But fishermen in this

coastal state are now fuming over

trawlers from Karnataka and

Maharashtra "poaching" in the

state's waters.

After recent incidents of high-

powered boats from neighbouring

states coming in by the droves to

net fish from Goa's territorial

waters, the Goa government has

been forced to post marine police

at sea to guard its fish!

"We have received complaints

from fishermen that trawlers from

neighbouring states like Karnataka

and Maharashtra are coming into

our water and stealing fish. We had

a meeting with the fishermen's

association and have come up with

various solutions," Fisheries

Minister Avertano Furtado told

media.

Furtado said that the menace

had to be arrested, especially

because the fish haul in the state

was on the downswing and tough

measures like posting policemen to

"haul in the culprits" needed to betaken.

"We are entrusting the responsi-

bility t o the mari ne police. Anyone

stealing our fish will be punished,"

Furtado said.

The Goa police have a marine

wing, which was set up some years

ago to combat crimes off the land.

Marine scientists have repeated-

ly warned of a fish famine in Goa,

blami ng rampa nt over-f ishi ng,

tourism demands and disregard for

the fishing ban during the spawn-

ing period. These are offered as

reasons for the depletion of fish in

the waters off Goa.

An annual haul of nearly a 1.03

lakh tonnes in 2005 has now

shrunk to nearly 75,000 tonnes last

year, according to government

reports.

"With fish and fishing productsdecreasing by the year, all efforts

are being made to provide the

infrastructure needed at the land-

ing centres so as to minimise the

port harves t loss es," the repor t

states.

"With the total fish production

in the state crossing maximum sus-

tainable yield (MSY), there is a

need to restrict the fishing efforts

in the coastal waters of the state,"

the report advises.

Goa has over 1,400 registered

trawlers, which haul in the fish and

prawns for consum ption in the

tourism-driven state as well as for

export.

The raids by fishermen from the

neighbouring states in these fish-

depleted waters are only adding to

the problem, according to Menino

Afonso, chairman of the Mandovi

Fisheries Cooperative Society,

located near Panaji.

Last week, the police as well as

the state fisheries department

failed to respond to their SOS, as

Menino and his team got a tip-off

that four trawlers from Karnataka

were poaching in waters off Goa.

"It was a tough thing. We raced

through the water for almost an

hour, before we saw those

Karnataka trawlers and they were

loaded with fish. We trapped them

and brought them to Goa," Menino

said, recalling the Dec 11 incident.

He said that the poachers are

often better equipped than regular

fishermen.

"While we use the regulation

140 BHP engines, these trawlers

had 350 BHP engines, which are

illegal, but it also makes them fast

and difficult to catch," he said.

Fisheries department officials

said that not just Karnataka, but

fishermen from Mahrashtra and

even Kerala have been reported to

be fishi ng in wat ers off Goa.

"Trawlers registered in one state

can only fish in the water off that

state, not anywhere on the coast-

line.

The inclusion of policemen in

our fisheries department teams will

help us a lot to curb fishing by peo-

ple from other states," the official

said.

JAMMU, DEC 16 : Reiterating

commitment of the government

to upgrade rural infrastructure,

Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Tara

Chand said addressing develop-

ment aspirations of those living

in far flung belts is up on the

priority list of the government

and work on the road map to

equip the areas with all required

infrastructure is apace.

"Our government is commit-

ted to develop the State on mod-

ern lines and with active support

from the central government

mega infrastructural projects

have been launched all across

the State," he added.

Mr. Tara Chand today

addressed a large public meet-

ing at Rakh Malal, Khour.

Among others Sub-

Divisional Magistrate, Akhnoor

Mr. N.S.Jamwal along with offi-

cers, engineers of different

departments attended the public

meeting. The Deputy Chief

Minister said that the govern-

ment is steadfast on its resolve

to take the development revolu-

tion to all parts of the state and

special care has been taken to

address the infrastructure

requirements of border and rural

pockets of the stat e, adding that

upcoming Kaleeth grid station

would go a long way to improve

power infr astructure in the area.

While responding to the

demands projected by the peo-

ple wit h respect to PDD depart-

ment, Mr. Tara Chand directed

the concerned officers to pre-

pare a comprehensi ve project

for power cables of the area. He

instructed for immediate chang-

ing of worn out cables so as to

meet emergency requirements

of the people.

He also directed the PHE

authorities to put the already

constructed tube well to testing,

so that the same may be com-

missioned and people of the

area get respite from potable

water difficulties.

Later, Mr. Tara Chand

attended annual day cum silver

jubilee celebrations of Nirmala

High School, Kaleeth. He was

chief guest on the occasion.

Founding principal of the mis-

sionary school Fr. P.A. Joseph

along with team of teachers and

school officials joined the cele-

brations.

JAMMU,DEC 16: The

Army has not allowed any

cross-border infiltration in

Jammu region this year

despite an increase in the

number of attempts along

the Indo-Pak border as

compared to the previous

year, a senior official has

said.

"In Jammu region, esti-

mates by various security

agencies reveal that no mil-

itant crossed over to J&K

from across Line of

Control," General Officer

Commanding (GoC), 16

Corps, Lt Gen DS Hooda

said, observing it the rea-

son behind increasing

attempts to push in the mil-

itants.

Speaking during an

Army function, he said

infiltration attempts being

made from across the bor-

der have "slightly"

increased as compared to

last year. "Militant leader-

ship has been eliminated.

For past 3-4 years, there is

a decrease in the number of

the militants in the state,"

he said. Regarding cease-

fire violations and firing in

Poonch sector, he said

Krishnagati and Nagantikri

forward belts have been

traditionally known areas

of infiltration due to their

"mountainous and forest-

ed" terrain.

The aim of the infiltra-

tors is to divert attention of

the Armed forces on the

borderline (in view of the

firing from across), so that

the infiltration of militants

is staged in other areas, he

said.

"But the troops are

ready. There has been no

such incident in which any-

body has managed crossing

into this side," he asserted.

Regarding the militancy

situation in the in-depth

areas and presence of num-

ber of militants in J&K, he

said it is "difficult to make

estimates" as there are "dif-

ferent figures (of various

security agencies)".

"Most of activities (of

militants) in Jammu region

take place in Kishtwar,

Gool and some in-depth

areas of Rajouri. But that is

limited. They too have not

done any such act of

attacking security forces or

civilians", the officer said.

TEHRAN: Iran's armed

forces chief of staff on

Saturday warned Turkey over

its plans to deploy US-made

Patriot missiles, saying the

move was part of a Western

plot to "create a world war".

"The Patriot (missiles) are

threatening. Each one of them

is a black dot on the map, (set-

ting the stage) to create a

world war," General Hassan

Firouzabadi told the top brass

at a military college, Official

media reported.

"The Western countries

seeking to deploy the missile

batteries on the Turkey-Syria

border are devising plans for a

world war.

"This is very dangerous for

everyone, and even for the

future of Europe," he said. "A

veteran military man and ana-

lyst can easily see this and pre-

dict the future."

NATO has approved

Turkey's request for Patriot

missiles to bolster its border

defences amid tensions with

the regime of Syrian President

Bashar al-Assad.

Germany, the Netherlands

and the United States have

agreed to provide the missile

batteries, which would come

under NATO command.

But both Russia and Iran,

the most powerful allies of

the Assad regime, are

opposed to the move.

In August, General

Firouzabadi drew the ire of

Ankara after he predicted

the turmoil in Syria would

spill into Turkey whose

government he accused of

aiding the US in achieving

"belligerent objectives".

And last November,

another top Iranian com-

mander said Tehran would

target NATO's missile shield

in Turkey if it came under mil-

itary attack.

Iran's foreign ministry later

moved to dismiss the remarks,

saying they were the "personal

views" of military command-

ers.

Iran army chief warns Turkey over Patriot missiles,saysthe move as part of a plot to "create a world war".

No infiltration in Jammu regionthis year:Army official

Govt committed to upgrade rural infra: Dy CM

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3/8

Jora, Akhooncongratulates topeople on Losar

JAMMU, DEC 16: Extending warm

greetings on Losar (Ladakhi New year) to

the people, especially Buddhist communi-

ty, the Minister for Tourism and Culture,

Nawang Rigzin Jora hoped that the New

Year would bring harbinger of peace,

progress and prosperity for the State and

its people.

Minister for CAPD Qamar Ali Akhoon

was the guest of honour on the occasion.Addressing a function in connection

with Losar celebrations organized by All

Ladakh Students Association, Jammu,

here, Jora highlighted the rich traditions of

amity and brotherhood prevailing in

Ladakh region since times immemorial

and said that co existence of different

faiths and cultures in the region symbol-

izes the high values of humanism.

He said that the government is com-

mitted to ensure equitable development

of all the three regions of the State and in

this direction numerous innovative steps

have already been taken by the Coalition

Government during last four years.

Minister for CAPD Qamar Ali

Akhoon also congratulated the people on

Losar and hoped that the New Year

would bring peace, progress and pros-

perity for the people of the

State.

ALSAJ President Mr.

Tsewang Norbu presented a

memorandum of demands in

relation to Ladakhi students.

STATESTUDENT AGE

MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 20123

NEWS IN BOX

Hurriyat delegation holds talkswith PoK leaders

ISLAMABAD,DEC 16: A visiting delegation of the All

Parties Hurriyat Conference on Sunday met leaders from

Pakistan occupied Kashmir for consultations on the

Kashmir issue and talks on the matter between India and

Pakistan.

The Hurriyat delegation, led by the group's chairman,

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, met the political leadership of PoK

in Muzaffarabad.

The seven-member delegation briefed the leaders on the

situation in Jammu and Kashmir and discussed options for

the inclusion of Kashmiris in the bilateral dialogue process.

Besides Farooq, other members of the delegation

include Abdul Ghani Butt, Agha Syed Hassan Al-Moosvi,

Maulana Abbas Ansari, Bilal Ghani Lone and Musadiq

Aadil.

Shortly after the delegation arrived in Lahore yesterday,

Farooq described the Kashmir issue as a "trilateral" matter

and not a "bilateral dispute" between India and Pakistan.

Talking to reporters, he said: "The Kashmir dispute

requires the attention of the international community (at a

time) when other international disputes are progressing

towards solution."

The purpose of the delegation's visit is to add momen-

tum to efforts for the settlement of the Kashmir issue, he

said.

While appreciating the resumption of the dialogue

between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Mumbai

attacks, he contended that Delhi should "change its stance

on Kashmir".

During its stay in Pakistan, the delegation is scheduledto meet Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, Foreign

Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Kashmir Affairs Minister

Manzoor Wattoo, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, Tehrik-e-

Insaf leader Imran Khan and other leaders.

The delegation is visiting at the invitation of the

Pakistan government.

Senior Hurriyat leader Shabir Ahmed Shah was sched-

uled to join the delegation later. He is expected to travel to

Pakistan on a cross-border bus service.

Akhoon for opening Kargil-Skardu road

JAMMU, DEC 16: Urging the need for removing man

made barriers between the people living across Line of

Control (LOC), the Minister for Consumers Affairs and

Public Distribution (CA&PD) and Transport Mr. Qamar Ali

Akhoon today asked the leadership of India and Pakistan to

take the ongoing process of dialogue and reconciliation to

its logical end so that all the issues are resolved amicably.

Interacting with a group of members of Gilgit-Baltistan

Assembly led by Mrs. Aamina Ansari accompanied by Mr.Anayatullah Khan Shumali, Mr. Akhoon said that the peo-

ple of both sides are yearning f or revival of trade and cul-

tural bilateral relations which will begin an era of peace,

development and prosperity in the region.

Mr. Akhoon also advocated for opening of Kargil-

Skardu road on the pattern of Poonch-Chakan-da-Bagh and

Uri-Muzaffarabad roads for trade and bilateral relations

between the two sides of people, adding that the public rep-

resentatives of Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly should pass a res-

olution in the legislature to impress upon the Pakistan gov-

ernment to remove restrictions through across the road.

Mr. Akhoon apprised the group about initiatives taken

by him in this regard and said that he has already raised the

issue with the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh who

has shown positive response. He said that revival of peo-

ples' movement across Kargil-Skardu road will bring eco-

nomic prosperity in Kargil and Leh districts also by way of

trade and commerce activities. "Fruit, business will special-

ly get boost", Mr. Akhoon added.

On the occasion MLC, Aga Syed Ahmad Rizvi was also

present.

Taj stresses on covering hilly,far flung areas on priority

JAMMU, DEC 16: 41 water supply schemes are under exe-

cution in Inderwal constituency of Kishtwar district at pres-

ent even as 21 schemes have already been completed. The

estimated cost for these schemes comes out to be Rs. 63.64

crore.

This was disclosed today in a meeting to review the pace

of completion of water supply schemes in Chenab Valley

region. Minister for PHE, Irrigation & Flood Control, Mr.

Taj Mohi ud Din presided over.

Former Minister and MLA, Inderwal, Mr. G. M. Saroori

and MLC, Mr. Naresh were also present in the meeting.

The meeting was told that additionally 17 schemes are

under execution in the area under NABARD and LIC cost-

ing around Rs. Four crore.

Addressing the meeting, the Minister asked concerned

engineers to explore possibility of providing drinking water

to areas like Drubeel, Indlukhara, Tanta etc.

He also directed exploration of filtration plant facility at

Thathri and Chatroo area. He also directed processing of the

DPRs of flood protection works in the area for submission

for TAC clearance.

Mr. Taj impressed upon the officers and engineers to pace

up works in far flung and difficult areas so that people there

are covered under these schemes. He asked the engineers to

avoid cost overrun of schemes by sticking to project time-

lines.

The Minister also directed covering areas like Halaran,

Gogada, Gobar, Panshera, Jora Kalan, Sicher under drinking

water supply adding these works should be completed at the

earliest.

Chief Engineer, PHE, Jammu, Mr. Ashwani Sharma,

other senior engineers and officers were present in these

meetings.

DHANORE (RAJOURI),

DEC 16: Addressing the 1st

Convocation of Baba Ghulam

Shah Badshah University

(BGSBU) here on Sunday

morning, Chief Minister,

Omar Abdullah who is also

the Chancellor of the

University asked the passing

out students to make human-

ness and respect for humanity

their cardinal principles and

contribute for holistic devel-

opment of the society.

"In the world that you are

about to enter now, you will be

entering into contracts, agree-

ments, business deals, etc. but

never ever forget the social

obligations and contracts you

have with your society", he

told them and elaborated that

the society comprising of fam-

ily, people, institutions and the

State have nurtured and nour-

ished them till this time. "Now

is your turn to reciprocate and

give back to your society what

you have received. Omar

Abdullah said that the passing

out students have to find forthemselves a niche in this

world that corresponds to their

talent and capabilities as such

they have to hone and refine

the skill sets that their educa-

tion has bequeathed upon

them.The Chief Minister said

BGSBU is young university,

its students are young, faculty

young but outlook towards

what is required is major. He

said the development and

growth of this university in a

hilly and backward area is

praiseworthy. He said that the

real commitment of the uni-

versity is towards the young

students particularly to youth

in difficult areas.

Omar Abdullah also con-gratulated the Vice

Chancellor, Management and

faculty of the University for

holding the convocation after

a long time and said that it will

be benchmark for coming con-

vocations. Prof. Hamal

also presented resume of the

research and extension being

conducted in the University,

academic linkage, examina-

tion system, library science,

UGC recognition, faculty aug-

mentation programme,

finances, infrastructure devel-

opment, sports and co-curricu-

lar activities, and future plans.

Minister for Finance,

Abdul Rahim Rather, Minister

for Higher Education, AbdulGani Malik, Minister for

Technical Education, R. S.

Chib and Minister of State for

Power, Shabir Ahmad Khan,

Minister of State for Haj and

Auqaf, Ajaj Ahmad Khan and

Vice Chairman Pahari

Advisory Board, M. A.

Bukhari were present on the

occasion among others.

As many as 5 M. Phil

Degrees were conferred on 5

candidates, Masters Degrees

on 724 candidates in different

disciplines and Graduate

Degrees on 189 candidates.

The Founder Vice Chancellor

of the University, Masood

Choudhary and N. R.

Narayana Murthy were con-ferred honoris causa D.lit

degrees at the convocation.

The certificates and medals

were given by the Chief

Minister to the passing out

graduates.

Addresses 1st Convocation BGSBU

Omar reminds students of their pledge to society

Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah congratulating the passing out student at 1st Convocation of BGSBU, Rajouri.

NEW DELHI,DEC 16:

There will be no metalled or

motorable road constructed on

the route to the annual

Amarnath Yatra, the Supreme

Court has ruled on an issue

that has stoked a lot of contro-

versy recently.

The apex court, in its

judgement on December 13,

has made it amply clear that its

order was to ensure that there

was no causality of pilgrims

during the annual pilgrimage

that takes place July-August

every year for 30 days in the

Kashmir Valley.

The judgement, delivered

by Justices B S Chauhan and

Swatanter Kumar, punctures

the campaign of hardline sepa-

ratists, including pro-Pakistan

leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani,

who had been claiming that a

permanent road was being

constructed.

The Supreme Court said,

"All other walking tracks from

various other points like

Baltal, Panchtarni and

Chandanvadi may be coveredeither by pre-fabricated rough

cement tiles or such other

material, which in the opinion

of the SHPC, would be most

appropriate for the benefit of

the pilgrims." While taking

into account every aspect

including the environment, the

court said, "Neither have we

directed nor should we be

understood to have implicitly

directed that there should be

metalled motorable road in

place of the walking

tracks/passages."

"There shall be provided

separate one way passage for

palkis and horses as one unit

and the pedestrians as the

other, near to and at the pas-

sages leading to the Holy

Shrine. Preferably on this pas-

sage pre-fabricated walking

path/matting should be pro-

vided," it said.

The Supreme Court said,

"We must not be understood to

have ordered directly or indi-

rectly, construction of any

motorable metalled road in

place of walking tracks.

The order also said that "all

other walking tracks from var-

ious other points, like Baltal,

Panchtarni and Chandanvadi

may be covered either by pre-

fabricated rough cement tiles

or such other material

which...Would be most appro-

priate for the benefit of the pil-grims." Also deflating the

propaganda that permanent

construction was being done

along the route, the Supreme

Court's order was clear that

attempt should be made to

"construct shelters on the pas-

sage or walking paths at regu-

lar intervals".

No metalled or motorableroads for Amarnath yatra

KISHTWAR,DEC 16: In the presence

of Satish Sharma, state General secre-

tary,and the Kishtwar district unit of the

party unanimously elected new district

President for District Kishtwar. This is

part of the party's organizational elec-

tion process currently going on

Throughout the country.

The newly elected District

Presidents whose name was proposed

by capt Hukam Chand which was sec-

onded by Sh Vijay Parihar and later it

was announced Sh Rajinder Singh as

District president by Sh Satish Sharma

and Sh Sunil Sharma.Sh Rajinder Singh

will hold his office for a term of next

three years. The meeting was organized

at the initiative of BJP State secretary

Sunil Sharma.

Addressing the workers newly elect-

ed District president Sh Rajinder Singh

appealed the workers to remain united

for the cause of nation and the party.He

Said that National Conference and

Congress, is playing a dangerous game

of appeasement of separatists and mili-

tants in the hope of buying peace with

communal elements to continue in

power. So we should remain extra vigi-

lant. Also present on the occasion were

, Capt. Hukum Chand, Chuni Lal,Vijay

Parihar,Harbans Singh, Capt Chuni Lal,

Shashi Paul, Ashish Sharma, Roshan

Lal Sharma (Sarpanch) Lalit Sharma

Runmeet Singh Narinder Shan, Ranjeet

Singh, Shiv Kumar, Pardeep Kumar,

Mohd Shafi Najar, Dilshad Ahmedand

others.

Rajinder Singh was elected as DistrictPresident of BJP for Kishtwar district

JAMMU, DEC 16: DRS

Kids today celebrated its

6thannual day in

General Zorawar

Singh auditorium

with great enthusi-

asm where Minister

for Revenue, Relief

and Rehabilitation

Mr. Raman Bhalla

was the Chief Guest

while Executive

Director, Mubarak

Mandi Heritage

Society, Mr.

Soujanya Sharma and Senior

Announcer AIR Mrs.

Madhvi Sharma were guest

of honour.

The annual day celebra-

tion started with lighting the

traditional lamp and there-

after 'Vandana' song was

presented by the kids of the

school in their melodious

voice.

Principal Mrs. Supinder

Kaur, besides parents of the

kids were present on the

occasion and appreciated the

cultural items presented by

the students.

Addressing the gathering,

Mr. Bhalla appreciated the

efforts of kids for presenting

colorful programme. He said

such type of events not only

giving platform to the chil-

dren to expose their hidden

talent but also come to know

about their cultural heritage.

The Minister asked the

teaching fraternity to pro-

vide quality as well as moral

values in the school to stu-

dents. He said teachers are

the main architect who shap-

ing the personality of stu-

dents by giving them quality

education.

Speaking on the occa-

sion, Mr. Soujanya Sharma

highlighting the role of the

teachers and parents in the

life of children, he said a

child is nourished by par-

ents, while the teacher

shapes his personality and

gives his life a new direc-

tion. He called upon the par-

ents to send their wards to

schools for becoming good

citizens of the country.

Mr. Sharma said such

programmes encourage the

students to explore their tal-

ent through cultural items.

He asked the students com-

munity to work for unity and

integrity of the country and

also appealed the parents to

come forward and support

their children in this mission

so that India becomes

stronger day by day.

Later, Mr. Bhalla distrib-

uted mementos among the

cultural programme partici-

pants.

DRS kids school celebrates 6th Annual Day

Bhalla asks teachers to provide quality, moralvalue education to students

DRS Kids presenting 'Vandana' song during their 6th Annual Day at Gen ZorawarSingh auditorium,University of Jammu

SRINAGAR, DEC 16:

Asserting that the dialogue is

the only medium for solving

issues, the Minister for Rural

Development, Mr. Ali

Mohammad Sagar said that

the India and Pakistan should

work for finding a lasting

solution to all their issues.

The Minister was speak-

ing at an Awareness Camp

organized by the Department

of Rural Development at

Bomia, Sopore in Baramulla

district for formally launch-

ing the Nirmal Bharat

Abhiyan in Kashmir division.

M LA Sop ore, Mr.

Mohammad Ashraf Ganai,

Director Rural Development

Kashmir, Mir Altaf Ahmad,

Sub Divisional Magistrate

Sopore, Dr. Hanief Balkhi

and other senior officers were

present on the occasion.

Mr. Sagar said that the

separatists should understand

the fact that various vexed

issues have been solved

through the medium of dia-

logue and they should come

forward for working out a

lasting solution which would

usher a new dawn of peace

and prosperity in the State.

He said that we have wit-

nessed turbulent times and

cult of violence has given

nothing but death and

destruction.

The Minister said that it

was due to the efforts of the

Government that the peace

has been sustained in the

State and people should

understand that the peace and

development are complimen-

tary to each other. He said

that it was due to the peaceful

environs, that a record num-

ber of tourists visited the

Valley which would go a long

way in ensuring that the job

opportunities are created

besides ensuring that the eco-

nomic profile of the people

gets elevated.

Mr. Sagar appealed the

people to come forward and

avail maximum benefit of

various schemes of the

Government which have

been instrumental in chang-

ing the socio-economic pro-

file of rural and far flung

areas of the State. The

Minister also distributed

cheques worth Rs. 31.49

lakhs among 647 beneficiar-

ies of Nirmal Bharat

Abhiyan, a scheme aiming to

provide individual household

latrines to the people. He also

distributed cheques worth Rs.

3 lakh among the beneficiar-

ies of Indira Awas Yojana.

Earlier, the Minister visit-

ed Tujar Sharief, the birth

place of revered saint of

Kashmir Makhdoom Sahib

(RA) and released an amount

of Rs. 50 lakh for the con-

struction of the Sarai

Complex there being con-

structed within an estimated

cost of Rs. 2.5 crore. He also

asked the concerned for pro-

viding a new electric trans-

former for the Sarai.

Sagar launches Nirmal BharatAbhiyan at Bomia Sopore

BJP State General secretary, Satish Sharma along with newly elected President, BJP unit

District Kishtwar Rajinder Sing ,Sunil Sharma, BJP State Secretary and others at Kishtwar

JAMMU, DEC 16:

Asserting that the coalition

government represents the

urges and aspirations of the

people, the Minister for

Industries and Commerce,

Mr. S. S. Slathia today vowed

to fulfill the promises madeto the people of the State.

Addressing a public gath-

ering at Bari and Shah-Da-

Talab in Vijaypur, Mr. Slathia

said that the Coalition gov-

ernment headed by Chief

Minister Omar Abdullah is

determined to bring peace

and prosperity and ensure

equitable development of all

three regions of the State.

Mr. Slathia said that due

to concerted efforts of the

coalition government, peace

has dawned in the State after

a long period of 20 years tur-

moil, adding that a record

number of tourists, Vaishno

Devi and Amarnath Ji pil-

grims visited in State during

last year.

He said coalition govern-

ment will not allow to disturb

the peace in the State and will

act toughly against those

divisive and disruptive ele-

ments.

Mr. Slathia sought whole

hearted support of the people

to strengthen the hands of

Chief Minister Omar

Abdullah adding that he has a

vision to develop the Stateinto a model State of the

Country.

Earlier, the Minister inau-

gurated Community paths at

Badhori constructed by Rural

Development Department

under MGNREGAat an esti-

mated cost of 8 lakhs, a new

Primary School at Tapyal

constructed under SSA in

Vijaypur zone at an estimated

cost of Rs. 9.45 lakhs, gov-

ernment health Sub-Centre at

Badhori in block Purmandal,

construction of link road at

Khatana Bari by PWD(R&B)

at an estimated cost of Rs. 8

lakhs and construction of link

road at Khepparat at an esti-

mated cost of Rs. 16 lakhs.

Mr. Slathia direct-

ed the concerned authorities

for construction of boundary

wall around the Government

Primary School Tapyal.

Coalition represents aspira-tions of the people: Slathia

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HYDERABAD: Andhra

Pradesh has now been includ-

ed in the proposed Chennai-

Bengaluru Industrial Corridor

which will give a thrust to

industrial development in bor-

der districts like Anantapur,

Chittoor and SPS Nellore,

minister said. State Major

Industries minister J Geeta

Reddy said AP was initially

not part of the corridor but,

after hectic lobbying with the

Centre, it has been included.

"The corridor's develop-

ment is being supported by the

Japanese government. The

Krishnapatnam port region

development will be taken up

in the first phase. In the second

phase, the Hindupur-Chittoor-

Nellore belt will be devel-

oped," the minister added.

Replying to a question, she

said approval from the Govt.

of India was awaited for set-

ting up National Investment

and Manufacturing Zones

(NIMZs) in the state. "We

have submitted proposals for

setting up NIMZs in Medak,

Chittoor and Prakasam dis-

tricts in an area of 5,000

hectares each. We will create

world-class infrastructure in

the NIMZs in line with the

National Manufacturing

Policy of the GoI," Geeta said.

She said the government was

also focusing on development

of infrastructure in the indus-

trial parks in the state.

EDITORIAL & STATE WATCHSTUDENT AGE

MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 20124

STATE WATCH

BY- ARCHANAPRASAD

GUJARAT chief minister,

Narendra Modi, released the

BJP's election manifesto or

a sankalp patra (a pledge to

the people) for Gujarat 2012

on December 3, 2012.

Recounting the achieve-

ments of the Gujarat growth

story, the patra claims that

Gujarat's administration has

been "admired nationall y as

well as internationally with

more than 250 awards, at an

average rate of one award

every fortnight." It also

claims that in its 11 years in

power, the Narendra Modi

government has excelled

itself by doing "all inclu-

sive, all pervasive and all

round development" in the

state, thus providing a

replicable model to the

entire country.

However, these claims

need to be evaluated on the

basis of hard empirical evi-

dence that has been collect-

ed, published and analysed

by a team of researchers andpublished in a recent book,

Poverty Amidst Prosperity:

Essays on the Trajectory of

Gujarat (Aakar, 2012). The

book uses current compara-

ble data and shows how the

Gujarat growth story has

been much exaggerated and

has perpetuated growing

inequities within the state.

Hence the evidence provid-

ed by the book needs to be

counterposed with the

claims and future pledges of

the Gujarat BJP.

JOBLESS GROWTH

AND CORPORATE SUB-

SIDIES

The BJP m an if es to

claims the growth and

expansion of a neo-middle

class as one of the major

impacts of the Gujarat

growth story. Consequently

the party promises several

measures to meet the aspira-

tions of this middle class

through pledges of making

cheap houses, providing

power, cheap loans and

insurance.

However, the emergence

and expansion of the middle

class is dependent on the

expanding income and

employment opportunities

and this is belied by the evi-

dence with regard to the

employment as well as the

character of the economic

growth within the state.

In terms of the overall

performance of the econo-

my, the Gujarat growth

story has been described as

"unspectacular," especially

in comparison with states

like Maharashtra and

Tamilnadu which have sim-ilar growth rates. While the

state comes first in terms of

attracting investment, but it

is only seventh in terms of

the growth of employment.

Conversely, a state like

Tamilnadu ranks seventh in

terms of the investments it

attracts but is on the top of

the rankings as far as

employment is concerned.

Further, the concentra-

tion of investment in partic-

ular sectors has created

unbalanced development

and has had negative impli-

cations for employment. Of

partic ular signif icance in

this textile, petroleum and

chemical sectors which con-

stitute more than 60 per cent

of the total investment and

provide half the employ-

ment. Still further, the

state's record of project

implementation is itself

abysmal. At the time of the

first vibrant Gujarat summit

73 per cent of the projects

garnered were implement-

ed, but in 2011 this propor-

tion came down to about 13

per cent (Pover ty amidst

Prosperity, pp 6-7). This

effectively meant that

industrialists have been

given cheap land and infra-

structural facilities to make

investments and dump their

money in non-productive

projects. The recent revela-

tions on the links between

the Adani Group and

Narendra Modi only pro-

vide more evidence for this

pattern.

GROWING INEQUALI-

TIES

Given this scenario, it ishard to explain the claims of

the BJP manifesto that

growth has led to the growth

of a large middle class. This

is exemplified by the grow-

ing inequities within the

economy.

In 2009-2010, one third

of the people in the state

lived below the poverty line

with 18 per cent of the

urban and 27 per cent of the

rural households being poor.

Though this proportion was

lower than the all-India

average, these figures were

not better than those of the

high growth states of

Tamilnadu and Haryana

(Poverty amidst Prosperity,

p 20).

This means that the ben-

efits of the investment were

not being transferred to the

ordinary people despite the

claims of overall develop-

ment. The distribution of

income (gauged by the per

capita consumer expendi-

ture) amongst social groups

reveals another dimension

of the growing inequities.

The gap between the rate

of change in income for the

scheduled tribes and others

has grown exponentially

between 2005 and 2010

especially in the rural areas.

Further, in the same period

income has declined for

both scheduled caste and

tribes in the urban areas. For

both these social groups the

head count of poor people

has also increased at a high-

er rate than for other social

groups (Poverty amidst

Prosperity, pp 22-23). These

inequities manifest them-selves in the poor educa-

tional and health status of

the state.

EDUCATION

In its pledge, the BJPhas

given primacy to youth and

education. It announces that

it has achieved 100 per cent

enrolment in primary school

and reduced the dropout rate

to two per cent.

These claims are belied

by the data collect ed

through the 52nd (2000-

2001) and 64th (2007-2008)

NSSO rounds of survey,

which show that the overall

educational ranking of

Gujarat fell from 21 to 26

amongst all states in this

period for children going to

school at the primary level.

At the level of all youth and

children attending any edu-

cational institution from the

ages of 6-29, the ranking of

Gujarat declined from 9 to

14 amongst 15 states with

which it was compared

(Poverty amidst Prosperity,

p 182 and Table 9.2, p 269).

This abysmal condition

is further exemplified by the

fact that the school going

children between 5-14 years

constitute 85.5 per cent of

all school-going children, a

proportion lower than that

of states like Tamilnadu,

Maharashtra and other

states with similar growth

rates. Only 31.6 per cent of

all school-going children

between the ages of 15-20

attended secondary and high

school in 2007-2008

(Poverty amidst Prosperity,

Table 9.14, p 272).

At the same time, almosta third of the children in

Gujarat had no formal edu-

cation whatsoever and only

13.5 per cent of the children

had secondary or high

school education and 2.6

per cent of the youth were

college-going as compared

to the all-India figure of 4.2

per cent in 2007-20 08

(Poverty amidst Prosperity,

Table 9.15, p 272). These

figures clearly show that the

claims made by the Gujarat

BJP are inflated and untrue.

This abysmal situation in

this crucial social structure

is to be seen in the context

of the declining state expen-

diture in education within

the state. In 2007-08, where

as the Gujarat government's

per head expendi ture in

rural areas was Rs 984, the

expenditure of private aided

institutions Rs 3509 and pri-

vate unaided institutions

was Rs 5015 per head.

This gap between public

and private institutions is

also reflected in the urban

areas where the per head

government expenditure on

education was Rs 2815 and

by private aided and unaid-

ed institutions was Rs 7509

and Rs 8037 respectively. In

both (the urban and the

rural) cases, the per head

government expenditure in

Gujarat has been much less

than the average all-India

expenditure whereas the

expenditure by private

unaided schools in rural

areas is higher than the all-

India expenditure by the

same agencies.

The level of per headeducational expenditure by

private aided inst itutions in

rural and urban areas and by

unaided institutions in

urban areas is comparable to

the all-India spending in

2007-2008 (Poverty amidst

Prosperity, Table 9.20, p

274).

This indicates that the

level of privatisation of edu-

cation in Gujarat was higher

than that of the rest of India

and this is reflected in the

low and unsatisfactory indi-

cators in the education sec-

tor. A cursory look at the

future educational agenda

of the Gujarat BJP as

revealed in the manifesto

also shows that this trend is

unlikely to change as most

of its promises are about

providi ng scholar ships to

students attending private

schools rather than basic

educational infrastructure.

HEALTH

The BJP m an if es to

claims that it will provide

decentralised health servic-

es to all. It also makes a step

towards a greater privatisa-

tion of medical education by

promising the s etting up of

government self-financing

medical colleges in each

tribal district, and providing

monetary assistance to stu-

dents in these self-financing

colleges.

This focus is in line with

the current role of the state

government in the health

sector where the total health

expenditure in Gujarat

decreased from 4.25 per

cent of the total budget in

1990-95 to 0.77 per cent ofthe total budget in 2005-

2010. In the period between

2005-2010, Gujarat was

ranked fourth from below as

far as its health status is

concerned (Poverty amidst

Prosperity, pp 208-10).

The Human

Development Report 2011

also highlighted Gujarat as

one of the states where

about half its children were

malnutritioned, and the rate

of decline of the infantile

mortality in the state was

lower than that of other

states with similar growth

rates.

Even here the scheduled

castes and scheduled tribes

showed a higher mortality

rate as compared to the

national average and the

mortality of girl children is

also higher than that of male

children (Poverty amidst

Prosperity, pp 204-05).

This clearly shows that

the disparities that exist

within the economy have

affected the access of ordi-

nary people to social infra-

structure. This is especially

so since the Gujaratmodel

of development is largely

relying on private capital

for the growth of these sec-

tors.

Seen in this context, the

BJP's sankalp patra is noth-

ing but an eyewash and

seeks to hide the failure of

the Modi government on

many developmental fronts.

Though the BJP may claim

that Modi is a model chief

minister who has brought

the politics of development

to Gujarat, evidence basedstudies show that the pace

of progress of the state

slowed down during the

eleven years of the BJP rule.

Further, the hollow slo-

gans of inclusive develop-

ment are nothing but a way

of attaining the hegemony

of Hindutva forces as well

as corporate capitalism,

both of which strengthen

each other within this state.

As the state goes to the

polls, the people of Gujarat

would do well to remember

these facts and defeat their

current non-performing and

tyrannical chief minister.

Gujarat 2012: Rich State, Poor People

AIZAWL: The Lal

Thanhawla-led Congress

government in Mizoram has

paved the way for resump-

tion of peace talks with the

Hmar People's Convention-

Democratic (HPC-D), which

had hit a roadblock in

December 2010. A meeting

between Mizoram govern-

ment officials and HPC-D

representatives at Mizoram

House in Silchar on

Thursday was said to have

shown positive signs. "We

will chalk out a roadmap for

the peace talks after

Christmas and New Year fes-

tival, on condition that the

HPC-D fulfill its homework"

sources said.

The HPC-D's "home-

work" according to sources

was to discontinue all kinds

of militant activities inside

Mizoram territory. The out-

fit's "public relations offi-

cers" during the Thursday's

meeting promised to fulfill

the homework, sources said

Sunday. The peace negotia-

tions, which began in

November 2010, ran into a

dead in the following

December when Mizoram

government alleged the

HPC-D involved "foreign-

ers" in the parleys. The

Mizoram government also

accused the outfit of violat-

ing the suspension of opera-

tions (SoO) agreement by

indulging in extortion rackets

and intimidations. Both chief

minister Lal Thanhawla and

home minister R Lalzirliana

have repeatedly said that the

Mizoram government would

not resume talks with the

HPC-D until and unless the

latter shuns violence.

The misunderstanding

had even resulted in the dis-

ruption of village council

elections in 15 villages under

the Sinlung hills develop-

ment council, comprising

Hmar-inhabited areas in

northeastern Mizoram, which

is being demanded by the

HPC-D for Hmar autonomy.

Earlier scheduled for

February 23, the election has

not been held despite that it

had been rescheduled for two

times. The Mizoram govern-

ment on July 17 arrested the

outfit's chairman H

Zosangbera from Delhi air-

port, after arrests of the out-

fit's "army chief" Lalropuia

and "deputy army chief"

Lalbiaknunga, were arrested

from Silchar airport on June

10. Dissatisfied with the

agreement signed between

The Hmar People's

Convention (HPC) and

Mizoram government in

1994, some members of the

HPC formed the HPC-D in

1995 to continue the struggle

for self-governance for Hmar

in the north and the north-

eastern parts of Mizoram.

MIZORAM

Mizoram Govt and HPC-D Peace Talks Back on Track

CHANDIGARH: In a bid to

review the situation where

the government land was

under unauthorized posses-

sion in rural and urban areas,

the Punjab government has

constituted two Cabinet Sub

committees comprising five

cabinet ministers each for

effectively tackling the situa-

tion after due deliberations.

Disclosing this here today

a spokesperson of the Chief

Minister's Office said that the

Chief Minister Parkash

Singh Badal gave his nod for

the constitution of these

committees on Saturday

evening. The Cabinet sub

committee to review the

unauthorized possession of

government land in urban

areas comprises Local

Bodies Minister Chunni Lal

Bhagat, Food and Civil

Supplies Minister Adesh

Partap Singh Kairon,

Finance Minister Parminder

Singh Dhindsa, Education

Minister Sikander Singh

Maluka and PWD Minister

Sharanjeet Singh Dhillon.

Likewise the Cabinet sub

committee to review situa-

tion where the government

land was under unauthorized

possession in rural areas con-

sists of Tourism Minister

Sarwan Singh Phillaur,

Health and Family Welfare

Minister Madan Mohan

Mittal, Irrigation Minister

Janmeja Singh Sekhon,

Revenue Minister Bikram

Singh Majithia and

Panchayat & Rural

Development Minister Surjit

Singh Rakhra.

These Cabinet Sub

Committees have been asked

to submit their reports along

with recommendations to

tackle with this situation effi-

caciously besides suggesting

concrete steps that such situ-

ation does not recur in future,

positively by January 31,

2013. These Sub Committees

have also been asked to take

assistance of the Chief

Secretary, Principal

Secretary Finance and

Advocate General besides

any other officer/ officials of

the state government as they

may deem fit according to

their requirement.

Pertinently the Punjab

Cabinet chaired by Chief

Minister had recently in its

meeting held on December

12 approved to constitute

these Cabinet Sub commit-

tees for reviewing the situa-

tion where the government

land was under unauthorized

possession in urban and rural

areas.

PUNJAB

Cabinet sub-committees to look intoillegal possession of govt land

MUMBAI: In a bid to bring

down the pendency of cases

pertaining to female foeti-

cide, Maharashtra

Government will soon

approach the chief justice of

Bombay High Court seeking

his direction to lower courts

for speedy disposal of such

cases.

The issue of pending

female foeticide cases came

to the fore in a meeting held

recently by Public Health

Minister Suresh Shetty.

"The state government

will request the chief justice

of the Bombay high court to

give directions to the lower

courts to expedite the

process to disposing of the

cases of female foeticide

pending there," a health offi-

cial said.

He said the Bombay High

Court had directed the lower

courts last year itself to dis-

pose of such cases within six

months. "Majority of the

cases have reached to a logi-

cal end, but where the cases

are pending the state govern-

ment will approach the High

Court," he added.

It was also decided in the

meeting that those lawyers

who have fought the female

foeticide cases well and

have won them should be

honoured by the govern-

ment. "Lawyers who have

won the cases should be

appointed as assistant public

prosecut ors," the official

said.

The meeting proposed

the need for larger publicity

for effective implementation

of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic

Techniques (Prohibition of

Sex selection) Act.

Lauding the work being

done by the PCPNDT Cells

in various districts, the

meeting proposed that they

should be strengthened for

effective implementation of

the programme. "For effec-

tive implementation of the

programme, counsellors and

newly-appointed medical

officers should also be given

training," added the official.

MAHARASHTRA

Female foeticide: Maha to approachchief justice of Bombay HC

PATNA: Bihar government

will hold 'bandi darbars' in

jails across the state for on-

the-spot resolution of com-

plaints by jai l inmates relat-

ed to food, health and other

civic amenities. The 'dar-

bars' will be held once in

two months by the con-

cerned district magistrates,

according to the new jail

manual, 2012, notified by

the state government recent-

ly.

Inspector General of

Police, Prison, Anand

Kishore said the conduct of

such a 'darbar' at the collec-

tor level is the first of its

kind in the country. The idea

behind holding such a dar-

bar was to establish direct

connect between the

inmates and the district

magistrate who is the high-

est official at the district

level.

The district magistrate

would also identify old and

helpless prisoners and pro-

vide them legal assistance

for early release. The cases

of prisoners afflicted with

serious diseases would also

be reviewed for early

release. The entire proceed-

ings would be videographed

and details would also be

entered in the record book.

The IG said a grievance

box would be kept i n all the

prisons in which inmates

can drop their written com-

plaints without the fear of

inviting the ire of the super-

intendent of the concerned

jail. The key of the box

would be with the district

magistrate who would open

it during his visit for the

'bandi darbar'.

The Bihar Cabinet had

on Tuesday approved the

Jail Manual 2012 which

would replace the one in

vogue for the last 88 years.

The new manual, suggested

by Chief Minist er Nitish

Kumar, was notified on

12.12.2012. Bihar has a

total of 56 jails - 8 central

jails, 31 district jails and 17

sub jails. The total capacity

of the jails was 33,119 -

32,027 male and 1092

women in 2010.

BIHAR

Bihar to hold 'bandi darbars'GUWAHATI: A team of the World Bank on a

preparatory mission on flood and anti-erosion

related projects in the State held discussions with

CM Tarun Gogoi at his official residence late

evening yesterday. The World Bank team

informed the CM that they have visited the

flood-prone areas of Morigaon and Palasbari to

get a firsthand account of the situation there. The

team apprised the CM that their visit would be

followed by other teams from the World Bank.

The team would visit the flood affected areas of

the State to make an in-depth study for project

preparation on a long term basis to control flood

and erosion in those areas. They also informed

that CM that water resource management

including watershed management, reclamation

of land, desiltation and soil conservation among

others, would be intrinsic parts of the latest tech-

nology driven projects to tackle flood and ero-

sion in the State. An expert team would study the

impact of flooding in the plains of the State fol-

lowing the heavy rush of flood waters from the

hills of neighbouring NE States during mon-

soons. For that, the expert team would visit some

States adjoining Assam to closely study the situ-

ation there and to adopt suitable action plan

accordingly. The team also told Gogoi that they

would raise the capacity building of the engi-

neers of the State Water Resources Department

through intensive training.

ASSAMWorld Bank to Control Flood, Erosion in Assam

ANDHRA PRADESHAP now part of Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor

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